Hebraic Studies - The Name of Our Beloved Elohim

Hebraic Studies - The Name of Our Beloved Elohim - with Dr. Rabbi Reuven ben-Avaraham. D.Litt

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Doctorates are as follows:

1. of Literature, 2. of Philosophy, 3. of Hebrew Literature/Letters.

4. of Hebrew Studies. 5. of Hebrew (Jewish) Studies.

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Please Note: On this page I will be showing, and we always use the most blessed four letter *“Memorial Name” of our beloved Creator in Ivrit - - Y-H-V-H, blessed be His Sanctified Name, which we usually pronounce as “Adonai” or “HaShem” prior the destruction of the Second Temple. However at all times please treat the most blessed Name with great Sanctity, and when we even see the Holy Name, we should say “Blessed be His Sanctified Name.”

However, please note that in general throughout the site I use a version based on the “Jewish Publication

In addition throughout the site I will use a version based on the “Jewish Publication Society” (JPS) version of the Torah/Tanakh (Torah - Law/history - Tanakh: Nevi’im - the Prophets - Ketuvim - the Writings).

However Please Note: Some verse numbers may vary in some version’s of non Jewish Bibles.

*“This is My Name ( - Y-H-V-H, (Blessed be His Sanctified Name) forever, and this is My Memorial to All Generations.” Shemot - Exodus 3:15. (“Jewish Publication Society” - JPS version of the Torah, with capitalisations!).

“Return unto Me, and I will return unto you, saith of hosts” Malachi - Malachi 3:7 (JPS version of the Nevi’im-Prophets).

Parashat Vayigash No 2

Bereshit - Genesis chapters 43:18 to 47:27.

As commence to read the book of Bereshit - Genesis, we will look at the answer given to a question asked at the opening of the book and raise a new one that will challenge the nascent (developing or emerging) Nation of Israel. The question arising from the opening of Bereshit is Cain’s famous query after killing his brother Abel.

“am I my brother's keeper?” Bereshit - Genesis 4: 9. (Based on the “Jewish Publication Society” (JPS) version of the Torah).

The whole book of Bereshit, in a sense, is a response to that first question posed by the killer Cain. From Noah’s sons, to Yitzchak and Yishmael, to Ya’aqov and Esau, conflicts abound.

It takes the epic story of Yoseyf - Joseph and his brothers, which concludes in this week’s Parashat, to answer affirmatively that indeed we are our brother’s keeper. This is made evident in the words and actions of the two main protagonists, Judah and Joseph. Judah makes the clear commitment to put himself in jail so that his baby brother Benjamin can go free; Joseph informs his brothers that his being sold into slavery has all been for a larger purpose, so that the entire family can be sustained. While his brothers remain wary, Joseph declares strongly.

“And Yoseyf said unto them: 'Fear not; for am I in the place of Elohim? And as for you, ye meant evil against me; but Elohim meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now therefore fear ye not; I will sustain you, and your little ones.' And he comforted them, and spoke kindly unto them.” Bereshit - Genesis 50: 19-21 (JPS).

Thus he reassured them, speaking kindly to them. While Ya’aqov’s blessing of his children shows that they each remain unique and distinct, the story reveals that despite the conflicts that arise within families and among brothers, they indeed are their brother’s keeper.

The second and more serious question of the Torah is whether we can extend the concept of being “our brother’s keeper” beyond our family to “the other”, Jew and gentile alike. We might think the answer to the second question is as patently obvious as the answer to the first, but our deeds do not match our words. Clearly, as much as our ancestors had to evolve for thousands of years to answer affirmatively that we are our brother’s keeper, so too we still need to evolve to understand our responsibility for all humanity.

The Parashat and book ends with the ominous word “Mitzraim” - “Egypt”. Soon we will read that Egypt represents the land where we developed as a nation in slavery and oppression. Our redemption from Egyptian slavery and our standing together at Sinai are the core events for our people. Throughout the Torah we are constantly taught the lesson that we are never to be an oppressor, that we must be champions of justice especially for the underprivileged in our society, and that we should have one standard of law for citizen and stranger alike – all because we know what it was like to suffer in Egypt.

Thousands of years of history and times of teaching of our blessed Torah by the prophets but so much of it actually falls completely on deaf ears when it comes to many of our ultra orthodox rabbis, who are involved with those Kabbalah Occult sect. It all commenced prior to the temple destruction time and continued after it during that that time they have changed so much of our blessed Torah including in the very early days the removal of Our Blessed Creators Sanctified Name, which was to be for us FOREVER and a THOUSAND GENERATIONS! But His Commandments apparently falls on the priests and rabbis “deaf ears” located just above perpetually “stiff necks”. While we as Jews have taken on the concept that “each Jew is responsible for each other Jew”, we have not been as good as extending that level of concern and responsibility to the non-Jew as well. Just think of how the word “goyim”, which in Hebrew literally means “nations”, has developed a derogatory connotation for the gentile nations. It does no good to respond, “but think how they treat us” if what we are trying to do is to be Elohim’s people and lead the way as a light to the nations. I fear a world of Jewish arrogance and triumphalism. According to the narrative of Torah, it took dozens of generations and thousands of years to learn that we are our brother’s keeper. How long will it take us to learn that “brother” now extends beyond our fellow Jew to the rest of humanity as well?

“Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it”. Davarim - Deuteronomy 12:32. (JPS).

Sadly our beautiful faith has been altered from our original faith that we were given, all because men seem to think they were wiser than our Creator, and during the days of the occultist Kabbalah rabbis they wrote countless books, which they then claimed was the Oral Law, but there was never no such thing!

“And thou shalt love thy Elohim with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be upon thy heart; and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” Davarim - Deuteronomy 6:5-8. (JPS).

May the Shalom of Elohim, - blessed be His Sanctified Name, fill you with His Love, and also your family and your home!

Is the word “Elohim” a name? No it is not, for it is both a word, and also an “Attribute” of who our beloved heavenly Father is! Also covered in this study is the four letter Sanctified *“Memorial Name - (Y-H-V-H) the Tetragrammaton. Please, always use the blessed Name with holiness and when ever you even see the Name or hear it, please say; – Blessed Be His Sanctified His Sanctified Name!

Rabbi Dr. Reuven Ben-Avraham.

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